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George, that’s a good point.  I had an uncle who worked at the Edgar Thompson Works as an engineer after he got back from Europe in WWII.  He designed all kinds of additions/improvements.  He was laid off in a huge downsizing when I was in high school, 1970.  He found a job as an engineer at Davy McKee in Cleveland suburbs and designed steel mills for other companies.  Home brewed vs off the shelf.

@Mark Boyce posted:

George, that’s a good point.  I had an uncle who worked at the Edgar Thompson Works as an engineer after he got back from Europe in WWII.  He designed all kinds of additions/improvements.  He was laid off in a huge downsizing when I was in high school, 1970.  He found a job as an engineer at Davy McKee in Cleveland suburbs and designed steel mills for other companies.  Home brewed vs off the shelf.

A number of these buildings all shared that long ventilator and vertical channel siding.  I think the Blooming Mill dates from 1920.  The Open Hearth, in its initial form, might be that old as well.  Other structures like the Open Hearth Supply Shed, the Shell Factory / Warehouse all looked very similar.

Here's the Open Hearth.

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And the Open Hearth (left) and supply shed (right).

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George

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Updated 3/7/2024:

I have been hard at work determining the relationship between roads and buildings in North Weirton as they existed in the early 1950s.  The accuracy of my track plan has strayed a little, so I decided to make a full size mock-up of the area and see what actually will fit and look right.

In this photo we are looking north.  The pink paper at the far left is Main Street north of the intersection of Main Street, County Road (in yellow) and Pennsylvania Avenue (brown).  The purple / blue paper is Main Street south of the intersection.  The yard sticks depict its movement further south.  The green paper is the footprint of the Mill Administration Building (MAB).

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The yard sticks roughly indicate the boundaries of the street, which will rise over the tracks to make Crawford's Crossing.  Between the near yardstick and the tracks will go a greatly foreshortened Quality Control Lab (if I can figure out how to make that happen).

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Below are the 2 tracks bridged by Crawford's Crossing.  The section of road between the two mills is meant to be elevated.  I have it on the bench top strictly to indicate its rough position.

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Finally, here's a look towards the mills.  And yes, WV Route 2 (aka Main Street) does did actually pass down the middle of the mill complex (there's not much mill left these days. )

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I've still got a lot of thinking to do about how this will actually become reality, but it's a start.

More when I know it. 

George

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Last edited by G3750

Updated 3/9/2024:

Spent some time today researching buildings found along both sides of Main Street in Weirton in the 1950s.  Did a bunch of "guesstimating" as to dimensions by counting bricks.  I found out that glass block in the 1950s was (typically) 8" x 8".  Did you know you can buy vintage glass block?  Who knew?

Weirton Steel's Quality Control Lab was an art-deco building with fashionable glyphs on its outer walls and two story glass block windows.  Quite striking, actually.  The photo is courtesy of the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center.

NOTE:  photo removed due to OGR copyright policy not being followed per TOS.

I'm currently working on how to selectively compress this structure to make it fit in the available space while retaining its unique flavor.

More when I know it. 

George

Last edited by OGR CEO-PUBLISHER

Updated 3/11/2024:

Work today focused on:

  • Doing more research on the geometry of the intersection of Main Street, County Road, and Pennsylvania Avenue as it looked in 1950s Weirton, WV.  I have a photo or two of a Sanborn map that may help.  I'm going to look at the maps themselves tomorrow.
  • Track bus wiring for Power Districts 3, 5, and 7.  We are making some progress here re-connecting existing feeders to buses that were relocated or removed when we put in the Tortoise switch machines.  I hope to finish this work before the end of the week, including connecting the tracks of Weirton Junction (Power District #6).

More when I know it. 

George

Last edited by G3750

Updated 3/13/2024:

  • Did get a look at the Sanborn maps for Weirton - very instructive.  Here is the Google view of the area in question.NorthWeirton001
  • Today, I finished connecting all track feeder pairs to the bus wires for Power District #8 (Staging Area).  I had only 1 feeder pair that was outstanding;  the vast majority of the Staging Area was wired several years ago.
  • Also completed connecting all track feeder pairs for Power District #7 (Weirton Steel).  There were 18 pairs.
  • Began work on Power District #5 (Weirton).  Four of the 15 pairs are connected.
  • Ordered the Plastruct glass block styrene sheet at Hobby Express.
  • Joined the Jefferson County (Ohio) Historical Society - they have some great photos.
  • Registered for the PRRT&HS Annual Meeting in Altoona in May.

More when I know it. 

George

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Updated 3/14/2024:

Work continued today on Power District #5.  We are working our way from higher to lower number feeder pairs.  On the left is 5.10, with 5.11 further away and 5.12 furthest from the camera.

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Power District #5 is the Weirton peninsula and is color coded Green.  I place small zip-ties of that color every so often.

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These standoffs help keep the wiring neat(er).

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I am just about to wire 5.06, which is at the entrance to Weirton Junction Yard.  That's where I ended today's effort.

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More when I know it. 

George

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Updated 3/15/2024:

There were no assassinations this Ides of March, but we did get Power District #5 (Weirton) completed.  All 15 feeder pairs are connected to the bus.  We did have one mishap (a dead short) due to incorrect wiring, but a fast acting fuse sacrificed itself and all is well.

First, the quick and the dead (fuses).

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Here is a shot of Power District #5 (Weirton).  In the foreground is part of Power District #6 (Weirton Junction), which is color-coded white.

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Here is more of Power District #6 as we move east towards the entrance to the Weirton Junction Yard.

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More when I know it. 

George

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Updated 3/18/2024:

  • Went over the layout identifying all the locations for PRR signals and determining how many I still need.  These signals will get milepost numbers mounted to them.  Several years ago, @AlanH (thank you again!) made some holders for these mileposts that will fit the signal mast.  I will print very small numbers for them.
  • I spent some time examining the Panhandle track plans in order to determine what those mileposts should say.  I hope to use these mileposts during operating sessions (not sure exactly how yet).
  • Yesterday, a friend and member of the division gave me an example of a 3D railing he made for me.  The railing is for the Crawford's Crossing highway overpass.

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More when I know it. 

George

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George, signals with mile markers are not absolute signals.  In other words, a signal without a mile marker that displays a STOP aspect means that the train should stop and wait for the signal to display a less restrictive aspect.  However, a signal with a mile marker that displays a STOP aspect means that the train should stop and proceed immediately at restricted speed.

On a model railroad, where things tend to be close together, I prefer trains to stop and wait at STOP signals.  None of my signals have mile markers.

@Bob posted:

George, signals with mile markers are not absolute signals.  In other words, a signal without a mile marker that displays a STOP aspect means that the train should stop and wait for the signal to display a less restrictive aspect.  However, a signal with a mile marker that displays a STOP aspect means that the train should stop and proceed immediately at restricted speed.

On a model railroad, where things tend to be close together, I prefer trains to stop and wait at STOP signals.  None of my signals have mile markers.

Thank you Bob!  Very useful information. And based on that, I think I will can the mile markers.  Will be less work, too.

George

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